In Which Ruby Tries to Make Friends
by We love us
Summary: Keyword: tries. Ruby didn't know what she was setting herself up for after nearly a year of being alone and finding a neat cafe. She was just in search of making friends outside of Beacon in the first step to becoming independent.
1. Chapter 1

_I'm tentatively stepping into new fandoms. Slowly. But I'm also excited._

_Um, the timeline? I don't know, but this is alternate to the story line of fighting Roman or the White Fang and just a normal time at school, learning how to fight Grimm, and than actually fighting Grimm._

_And in this story, you'll know the characters Cinder, Neo and Roman and the others are not evil, just running a cafe. Yeah, it'll be a boring story, sorry not sorry._

_It's Falling Petals. in case you didn't know. (But still like White Rose and blah de blah da blah)._

_See this is why I re-read it (before, referred to her scroll as a tablet, had to change that), but sometimes things slip by... so sorry for that._

**In which Ruby tries to make friends**

**(Outside of Beacon)**

**Keyword: _tries_**

Sighing, Ruby plopped down onto Weiss' bed, she was tired of not knowing. Not knowing why she wasn't included, was it because she was younger?

At first, it was simple. Say a 'hi,' to Weiss, Blake or her sister. It would work enough to jostle them out of their worldly haze of schoolwork, preparing for the real world and other stuff Ruby didn't quite understand yet. She was only 16, two years behind everyone else. It was understandable, though, to Ruby. They would get more busier with their social life, unlike her. She was shy as ever, people who were intimidated by her enthusiasm for weapon knowledge.

But then, during nights, Yang would pull Weiss, however unwilling the heiress screeched out in protest, and Blake went with no complaint, just an eyeroll and a sigh. Ruby could only stare at the closed door, alone in the room.

The silence was deafening.

'Why did they leave me alone,' would be reasoned by her conscious: 'You know they are nearly adults, it's understandable how Yang could get them underage alcohol when they could pass as adults.' Or: 'You're being too clingy, it's time to be independent, finds more friends than teammates or other teams, go to the outside world and take a chance.' But the second reason was more like an option Ruby ended not following once.

Hopefully today would be different. It was nearly a year since attending Beacon, having been fed up with the other three partying at night, fighting the Grimm, Ruby felt ready to expand her world, to accept more people into her world.

It would start...after she was done with this lecture for the day. Slumping, she continued listening to Professor Port drone on about his past for the hundredth time it seemed. Maybe more.

**-x-**

Now how would she go about making friends outside of Beacon? The scythe wielder pondered for a moment before shaking her head, planning for friendships wouldn't work out well. It would be best to just be "her." That way she wouldn't have to keep up a pretense and stress herself over whether or not they would like her real self.

Heading to a cafe sounded good in her head, she used her speed semblance to waste as little time as possible when she could be making friends. Maybe this was her subconscious wanting revenge, after all, having hardly been included in Yang's partying did hurt her a bit. She felt that it was time to build up her nearly non-existent social skills and to get rid of the underlying hurt every time Weiss called her a child or immature.

The cafe's heading read, "Read and relax." Biting her bottom lip gently, Ruby took a deep breath and walked in stiffly, all the way to the counter. She could feel the stares, a heat flushed her body as embarrassment was read easily on her face. The person behind the counter looked bored and immersed in a book. 'I guess she didn't hear the bell ringing,' Ruby wanted the person to look up and notice her. Clearing her throat, the person finally looked up. Ruby had her breath catch in her throat at how beautiful the person was. Well, seductive, really. Amber eyes, nearly a deep, rich orange with arching eyebrows and a slender face framed by long glossy hair that had curled ends. Her lips had a feminine bow that quirked up a bit into a slow smile. Ruby blushed, looking down before glancing back up. 'The person behind the counter is...beautiful!' Ruby thought, feeling inadequate in a cafe that seemed fit for more mature people.

"Well, are you going to order?" The tone held a hint of amusement, the woman leaned forward on the counter, still smiling at Ruby.

She browsed the menu quickly, noticing it also offered deluxe baked cookies which had her drooling a bit and to seem older than she looked, she decided to pick chamomile tea, if only to impress the lady. The woman raised an eyebrow at how much cookies Ruby ordered and chuckled before leaving to the back, where Ruby guessed was an entrance the kitchen.

Nearly twenty minutes of standing in the same spot, Ruby noticed that the woman came back, with two trays in her hand that held cookies and a cup of tea in one of the trays. The young girl grinned, eager to help set the trays down at an empty table near the window. Upon sitting, Ruby finally spotted the name tag on the woman: Cinder. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman, she blushed, watching Cinder's hips sway as she went back to the counter. Munching on a cookie, Ruby silently wondered why this woman wasn't a model and why was she working at such a quaint place. But she wasn't going to complain, especially since it seemed to be one of those unknown places.

Just with the bonus of having such a beautiful person on their staff.

It was nearing twilight, Ruby didn't even notice how long she spent her time here or if her teammates even bothered to notice. If they didn't so much as leave her a message, she was listing the three of them as a-holes number one, two and three in her contacts listing. Turns out when she turned on her scroll, there were 10 messages in total, 5 of them from Yang, 3 from Weiss and 2 from Blake, which was surprising, seeing as how they didn't care for her presence before.

"Well, I see you have to go home now." The low timbre of the voice sent shivers up her spine, leaving behind a delightful tingle in her body. Ruby shakily inhaled when the manicured hand plucked her scroll from her hands and then positioned it in front of them to take a picture of them together.

"This is a memento, hope you come again tomorrow."

Yes, Ruby planned to come again. A fluttering feeling in her stomach told her so she would gladly spend her meager allowance here from now on. But her conscious told her it was because of the crush she had for Cinder.

**-x-**

When Ruby entered the shared room, Yang was engulfing her into a breath taking hug, literally. She couldn't breath. Patting her sister's biceps in quick succession told the blonde to let go of her and she took huge gulps of air in, almost choking on air itself. The silver eyed girl saw Weiss standing with her arms crossed, a pinched expression on her face and Ruby prepared herself for the long upcoming tirade.

"Ruby Rose, why were you out so long? Do you know what we thought happened to you? I guess this is what we get for having a child as our leader-" To this point, Ruby could no longer feel anything, not even annoyance. She just watched on, almost like she was out of her body as the white haired young woman march around in her speech. While Weiss was still pacing a hole in the floor, Ruby decided it was best to change in her pajamas and did so quickly with the help of her semblance.

Blinking, Ruby turned around to see them staring at her, silence ruled the room. Why they were staring at her, she had not the slightest clue.

"Um, guys," Ruby gave a hesitant smile, "if you're going to sneak out for your parties, you better leave now before security rolls out." Yang nodded slowly, gesturing for the other two to get ready. After all, they did deserve their time just like she wanted hers. She got used to being alone in this room. 'Forgotten,' her conscious whispered but Ruby pushed it into the deep depths of her mind.

Settling into her hazardous bed, she pulled the covers over her body and closed her eyes, ready to dream of hot orange eyes and the mysterious smile of Cinder whilst forgetting the pain of being forgotten.

**-x-**

Not surprisingly, Ruby woke up the second the sun was shining its rays on Beacon. She blearily looked around and saw her teammates passed out. She shook her head as she wondered how they didn't get caught yet into coming back in the dorms while drunk off their asses. Ruby vowed to not irresponsibly drink, especially after witnessing the horrors of a hangover via watching Yang.

Besides, she was eager to finish the school day and head to the cafe. She headed down to the diner hall, ready to start her day. Hopefully it would go by fast. She took out her scroll, tapping the photo apps and enlarging the image of Cinder and her. She had a blush on her face but her eyes were strangely sparkling, Cinder had a smirk while looking at the young girl. Ruby mentally face palmed. She probably looked like a dork in front of the hottest woman she ever saw, which was not the image she was going for. But it would do, it was all she had of Cinder, for now. There were plenty of future meetings between Ruby and Cinder that were going to happen, especially now that Ruby found her haven.

Classes were boring, the day crept to a slow pace until it was afternoon. Ruby struggled to sit still, Weiss having to occasionally shush her or kick her shin. After many bruises later and the class coming to an end, Ruby sped out of the classroom, leaving behind a swirl of rose petals in her drift. Her teammates could only shrug off the weirdness that was Ruby as of lately.

**-x-**

She burst into the cafe, surprising some of the regulars there who choked on a tea or pastry. Ruby ignored the glares in favor of the beautiful woman behind the counter. 'And you still refer to Cinder as the beautiful woman behind the counter,' her conscious mused. Ruby paused, "Shut up." A delicate brow rose, and lips pursed, "Me?"

Ruby gasped, turning around. "No, not you. Definitely not you. Me. It's me. I should shut up but I get nervous-" A finger landed on her lips, stopping her from speaking anymore. It went away. Ruby was seriously tempted to chase the tip with her tongue but rebelled against the urge. She gulped, caught in the fiery stare of a fiery setting. It was like she could see a battlefield in those eyes, the remnants of dying embers flowing gently on the wind.

Cinder seemed to realise their surroundings and tapped the bottom of Ruby's chin softly, waking her from the haze also. "Are you going to order, little one?"

'Little one? Oh boy, you have to escape that obstacle.' Ruby agreed with her conscious. She didn't want Cinder to see her as a child like Weiss did. It felt weird, since her heart and mind didn't want that to happen.

"I'll have some tea for now." The silver eyed girl gave a small smile to Cinder, who nodded and went to get tea. Ruby sat in the same table as yesterday, looking out the window with no focus, lost in her listless thoughts.

The clink of the tea set roused Ruby, turning to Cinder who waited there patiently. Taking a small tea, Ruby winced at the taste. She guessed trying to seem mature was an acquired taste too, just like how Yang told her drinking alcohol was the same. Cinder sighed, "well, if you're going to be here for most of the day, do you think I can ask a favor of you? I know this might seem suspicious but we need a dishwasher until we can hire one but no one seems interested."

Ruby hummed. Her conscious decided to speak up: 'Take it. It's a favor that you can ask almost anything of her and it'll get you that much closer to Cinder, the beautiful woman behind the counter, in this case, just right before you.' Her head was nodding before she knew it. Cinder giggled, resting the tray against her chest as the giggles became full blown out laughter. Ruby was in awe, the sound of her laughter was beautiful. It made her want to hear the sound for the rest of her life, her chest felt tight and hot with sensations.

"Thank you, but may I know your name?" Cinder sat down, looking her with her head tilted slightly. Ruby looked into her tea, "it's Ruby." She mumbled, feeling the flush creep up from her chest to her face.

"Ru. By." Cinder tested her name in a slow way. It was making her dizzy with ecstasy to hear this beautiful woman say her name. 'You better cool down,' her conscious seemed to mutter.

She stood up, finishing off her cooling tea in one painful gulp and bowed to Cinder. "When shall I be here? Tomorrow, there is no classes so I'm free all day."

Cinder also stood up, smoothing her black skirt of wrinkles. "Around eight-thirty AM, if that is alright with you."

Ruby nodded, fighting back the excitement already vibrating throughout her body. "I'll be here for sure!" And with one last wave, she sped off to the dorms, her excitement helped her getting there quickly.

-x-

Yang huffed, "Where did Ruby disappear to now?" Weiss was at her desk, studying before she lifted her head to address the question.

"I do not think we should bother. Ruby is obviously playing somewhere."

"I'd understand that but she's been...happier?" Even the overprotective sister didn't know and it was unsettled since Ruby always shared her ups and downs of each day. Now that they thought about it, they mostly ignored Ruby for partying. Most nights of the week were spent going to a club Yang managed to get them in, drinking to the point of near unconsciousness, even Blake succumbed more than a few times. At first, they excluded Ruby because she was too young, too obvious in her shortness, attitude and baby face. Then Yang introduced them to more clubs, staying out late longer and often waking up with splitting headaches caused by hangovers.

Altogether, they forgot Ruby was their team leader, or even there. Sure they said the hello occasionally but it was far too few. Yang bit her lip, Weiss gnawed on her pencil in worry and Blake sat on her bed, book placed to the side of her.

"Well, Ruby is 15, she is growing up. And of course she'll be curious about the world. Maybe she is just exploring parts of Vale." Blake said thoughtfully. Weiss nodded, agreeing.

"After all, she is still a child."

Yang sighed heavily, "She's 16 now. She had her birthday a while ago." She scratched the back of her head sheepishly at their bewildered looks and also out of guilt. Being caught up with the world shouldn't excuse them from nearly forgetting her little sister.

Just then, the center of their discussion entered - more like skipped - into the room, oblivious of the tension and their stares. Ruby had a blush on her cheeks and was humming happily a nonsensical tune as she stripped out of her usual outfit and into her pajamas. Blake turned her head away, face buried into her book. Weiss gaped as her eyes roamed over their leader's body, no longer did Ruby have a skinny stick of a body. It was lightly laced with taut muscles on her abdomen, in her arms and defining her jawline, slowly filling out her body in the chest, hips, thighs and butt- giving the appearance of puberty finally hitting the young girl.

Yang approached her sister carefully, as if she was a new species not yet seen. The haze that filled their minds now blown away from a strong wind, namely Ruby. The blonde didn't know how to act around the young girl, it felt like they are worlds apart. The tangible bond they once shared was a thin line.

Ruby placed her scroll on the dresser by their bed and hopped into her blankets, snuggling deeply before settling into a sleep.

Yang looked at Blake as if the cat faunus had the answer. She shook her head before returning to reading her book. Weiss stomped over, ripped off Ruby's blankets, in turn, the girl tumbled from her bed and landed on the floor with a thump and a groan.

Yang shot a hard stare at Weiss who glared back. "Well, it's not like staring at her would do anything!"

Ruby stood up slowly, holding the side of her head as she peeked through her fingers. "Why did you do that for, Weiss?"

"We want to know where you're going." The ice queen stated curtly, crossing her arms as she looked at Ruby. Yang shifted uncomfortably. 'Awkwaaard.' She sing songed in her head.

"Just to a cafe," Ruby mumbled, "now can I go back to sleep that you rudely interrupted me from, Your Highness?" She even curtsied, giving a mock polite smile.

Weiss glared than harrumphed, going back to doing her studying. Ruby growled under her breath, swinging back into bed and pulling the blankets over her head. Yang slumped down the wall. 'So much for tact,' she thought. 'We'll have to follow lil' sis tomorrow. But for tonight, no partying until we figure out where Ruby is going.' After all, she might have not been the best sister of the year but she'll make up for it starting tomorrow. But first thing to do tomorrow was making sure Ruby wasn't getting herself into trouble.

* * *

_Wow, what a long chapter I wrote since...a long time. Welcome me warmly please, anyways, I'll try to update more consistently. But I have to worry about exams soon. x_x_


	2. Chapter 2

_I was eager to get the second chapter out...what do you know, the creative juices are flowing out, kind of. Sorry for taking so long, too. The rating is subjected to change in the future. I'll try to be better in rereading for mistakes. Glad some of you liked it. And here is another chapter:_

**In which Ruby tries to make friends**

**(Outside of Beacon)**

**Keyword: _tries_**

**Chapter two**

Ruby woke up at dawn, her body muddled with fatigue but as once as she remembered her task (or favor in Cinder's case), she was eager to get ready. Throwing the blankets off her body, Ruby jumped to the floor with barely a sound made and went to take a shower. She looked over her shoulder to see her teammates still in a deep sleep before closing the bathroom door. Did they not go out partying last night, she wondered, seeing as the room wasn't filled with the stench of alcohol and their bodies weren't sprawled out in an awkward way.

Ruby shrugged, maybe they took a break. Stripping from her pajamas, Ruby stepped into the shower area, ready to start the day.

After the refreshing shower, she felt more energized and her teammates were still asleep. Then again, who was up this early? She exited the room quietly with a subtle click of the door and headed to the library to pass time until 8:30 came along. She has been neglecting the past few days on catching up to the latest knowledge of weapons, that and Crescent Rose needed a cleaning.

**-x-**

Yang was woken up by a fuming heiress slapping her shoulder. Lifting her forearms, they took the weak hits as Yang cracked one eye open and groaned.

"Ruby is already gone, let's go see where she is now. It's only 7:40." Blake stated, picking up her book and then heading out the room.

Yang nodded, swinging her feet to touch the cold floor but she smirked, pulling Weiss onto her lap and wrapping her arms around the struggling young woman.

Weiss struggled to get out from the embrace, feeling a warmth blossoming in her chest at the tender way Yang held her. Her mind refused believing it but her heart kept its erratic rate before she finally relaxed into the firm body behind hers.

"Sorry, just used to hugging Ruby. I can't believe..." Yang fell silent on her train of thought. Weiss nodded slowly, resting her hands over Yang's, which clasped in her lap.

"It's not your fault, it's all of ours. We were too deep in this world that we were blind to the pain we've caused her. Don't blame yourself, Yang. It wasn't just you." Weiss wasn't sure if her words helped but the way Yang held her a bit tighter told her it was all she needed to hear.

They sat there for minutes but it felt like hours, the silence comfortable as they understood each other in a new way.

"Yang," Weiss turned around in Yang's lap, fully flushed against the blonde. "I need to tell you something." She fell deep into the lilac gaze, feeling a heat that wasn't coming from Yang's body but her own. Yang splayed her hands across her lower back, subtly messaging the area. She shifted, and Yang's arms tightened, holding her in place.

"I-"

The door flew open, Blake grunted, her steely stare trained on them.

"Are you coming with me or what, you lovebirds?"

Weiss hastily broke away from Yang, her momentum having her fall on the floor in a clumsy manner. Yang looked a bit startled and shifted uncomfortably under Blake's gaze.

"Um, we were having a friendly chat for once?" The blonde grinned sheepishly at the not-so-amused faunus, who sighed.

"Just hurry it up because you guys had a long 'chat'. We need to make sure Ruby doesn't disappear on us." Blake seemed to mumble something under her breath but Weiss couldn't make out anything but, "lovey-dovey moment." And blushed furiously before heading out the room and after Blake.

**-x-**

Ruby felt excited after cleaning her sweetheart, she went to continue reading some weapon-specialty magazines. The time to leave for her temporary job was nearing, it felt like time couldn't go by any faster.

Before long, Ruby was sprawled on a couch upside down, trying to count all the books she could see. But a pair of feminine legs came into her view and she quickly sat properly. Blake was there, a brow quirked up. Ruby flushed and wished the couch could swallow her up for acting childish. But she was quite bored until she had to head out to the cafe.

"Hey Blake," the girl mumbled, eyes interested in the patterns on the floor.

"Hello to you, too. Is there a reason why you got up so early?" The cat faunus asked, her ears twitched under the bow that covered them. Ruby nodded, excited to tell her roommate of the opportunity she came across on by luck. 'Your brooding, you mean.' Her conscious mocked. Ruby shifted, ignoring the voice.

"I have a temporary job, Blake. I am going to be a dishwasher." She stated proudly. Blake nodded. Ruby found a clock and squinted, "I have to go in 5 minutes so I might as well leave now. It was nice talking to you."

Though she didn't notice, Blake signaled Yang and Weiss to follow stealthily, they nodded.

Ruby whistled a happy tune, her walk held a swagger as she headed to the "Read and relax" cafe. She couldn't wait to see Cinder, though she was nervous about meeting the other staff. Surely Cinder couldn't run it by herself without some help.

After 10 minutes of turning and walking, Ruby stopped, staring at the cafe before heading in. It was near empty save for a few people she recognized and judging by their wary stares, some of them remember her flashy entrance. She mouthed sorry to them and stood by the counter, unsure where to go without wanting to seem nosy.

Cinder came from the kitchen, it seemed, as she held two trays full of breakfast. Ruby nearly drooled but contained herself even though she forgot to eat breakfast in her haste. Once the trays were served, Cinder came by and sat beside her, watching her with a warm smile. Ruby fiddled with her fingers, wondering what to do now.

"After the breakfast period ends, then you'll start your dish washing job. However, if you don't mind, do you think you can help during the lunch hour?" The older woman chortled when the girl saluted and said, "yes," very enthusiastically. They sat beside each other in a comfortable silence, often glancing at each other.

The silence was broken by a gurgling stomach. Ruby blushed, curling in on herself. 'Why did I not eat?' She bit her bottom lip, glancing at Cinder.

"Do you want something, Ruby?" Her voice was full of concern. Ruby shook her head, smiling, "I don't have any money."

"Nonsense, I'll give you a breakfast serving. You can pay me back later," Cinder winked at a flustered Ruby before heading to the kitchen. Ruby sat there, slightly stunned. 'Was this flirting?' She didn't have nearly enough experience - 'How about none at all,' her conscious interjected - to know flirting from friendly teasing.

Cinder came back, putting a plate of eggs and bacon with a side of toast in front of her. "It wouldn't do you any good if you have no energy," Ruby nodded, taking a fork and stabbing into her sunny side up eggs before moaning in relief. Her stomach was ravenous. Within a minute, her plate was cleaned and Ruby gave a sheepish grin to the amused woman.

"Follow me, I'll show you to the others and the dish washing area." Ruby hopped off the stool and followed behind like a loyal puppy. A smitten one, nonetheless.

**-x-**

Yang had a pair of binoculars that were trained on her sister. She wondered who the woman talking to Ruby was, it was awfully nice of her to serve Ruby breakfast.

And she was pretty, Yang noticed.

Weiss sighed, snatching it from her to see for herself. Just as she did, the dolt tripped behind the woman. How she managed to trip on air was astonishing. If she had to pick between the brute or the dolt, it would be the brute, Her cheeks flushed at the thought before she threw the pair of binoculars at Yang.

"Ow, hey!" That was for staring at the woman, the heiress thought. Weiss harrumphed, crossing her arms.

Blake face palmed, these two were blind to each other. She bet Weiss wanted to do something cheesy like hugging Yang and asking if she was hurt. Contemplating more on that train of thought, the faunus figured it'd be in no time before one of them broke the ice between them. But the sexual tension between the two this morning was thick enough to choke her, the scent of their arousal nearly made it impossible to speak normally. She was tempted to lock them in a closet once this... task of spying on Ruby was finished.

"Yang, your sister told me she took a temporary job in dish washing."

Yang gaped, "Wha? Are you serious?" Blake nodded, wondering why Ruby took the job. But thinking to the woman she saw with her sharp vision, she could understand why Ruby took it anyways.

"I bet the dolt will get fired the second she picks up a plate."

They agreed, with Ruby's clumsy handling on anything delicate, it was bound to happen.

**-x-**

**Oh yes, short update but more will come and I probably will introduce Cinder's staff. I'm sure you know who they are. **


	3. Chapter 3

_Wahaa, I updated after a billion months. Anyways, I feel like this is necessary for Ruby's character growth __–or some sort of plot development– __even if it seems unusual. Just go along with the belief suspension, please. ^u^ Anyways, thanks for reading. I'm surprised I managed to get this chapter up and running but I am loving this story. Sorry if it seems boring to others because of my updating schedule. I'm not very consistent unless the idea is firmly rooted in my head and I have that 'urge' to follow through. Even with few reviews, I feel completely rejuvenated to finish this story._

**In which Ruby tries to make friends**

**(Outside of Beacon)**

**Keyword: _tries_**

**Chapter three**

Since her little tour of the kitchen area, Ruby had figured it wouldn't hurt to the know the rest of the people who ran the cafe with Cinder, but she didn't wonder where they were. She would meet them eventually, after all.

She sat in the corner, lounging in her seat until the breakfast period was done was difficult to do. To some, the task would be easy as pie but now Ruby was curious and restless. It never made for a good combo for those who knew Ruby. So the girl had to burn it off somehow or else she'd make a mistake sooner and later. Wincing preemptively, Ruby knew she wouldn't want to mess up on this job. After all, the weapon lover did want to impress Cinder with her dish washing abilities.

Sighing, she glanced out the window, doing a double take before blinking again. Did she just see her teammates? Or were her eyes playing tricks on her again? 'You're going crazy, that's what – no, your subconscious just misses the simpler moments where there were no parties. It's okay to feel sad. But people grow up and there comes a time where distance fills the gap.' Ruby's conscious said. Ruby grimaced, was this really her mind? But she knew what she, herself, was getting at. _I really need to compartmentalize this_…_whatever I am is. Certainly wiser than I feel._ It was disconcerting, yes, but Ruby knew it was a part of her that she couldn't change but grow into.

"What has you so deep in thought, little one?" Cinder asked softly. Ruby blanched, mind racing with many reasons but no excuse seemed good enough.

"I don't feel like myself!" She blurted out. Some people turned their heads in her direction. Ruby drooped in embarrassment and twiddled her fingers together. That hadn't come out the way she wanted it to.

A delicate eyebrow rose in curiosity. "How so?" Her voice was soothing, not judging like Ruby expected she would.

"I hear this other voice in my head that is so logical. I don't know _myself_. I know I love how weapons work and all their intricacies. I love milk and cookies and reading manga time to time but this feeling of utter helplessness makes me fear 'it.' I don't even know what to call 'it.'" Ruby said, her shoulders felt like they dropped a heavy weight that she carried for a while now. Before, she just ignored it, thinking that ignoring would help rid of the voice that sounded just like her. Glancing up, Ruby was relieved to see that those amber eyes were intently staring at her, her whole body language indicated that she listened and was now thoughtful.

"I don't think it's a bad thing, Ruby, everyone goes through that stage at some point in their lifetime. It's safe to say you just managed to unlock a part of yourself earlier than others." Cinder gave her a small smile. Ruby memorized it, hoping that maybe, just maybe, Cinder would be a true lifetime friend. 'Oh yeah, despite your raging crush for her.' Ms. Conscious butt in sarcastically, then softened up, 'Don't let her go, me.' Ruby nodded, whether in response to her consciousness or Cinder's plausible reason, she didn't quite know yet but she had a feeling it was a bit of both.

"Yeah, maybe so."

Now that she had Cinder to help her understand, even a bit, Ruby didn't feel so helpless. But she wished her teammates had been around her more, if only to check up on her once in a while but even that was rare. How had they managed to be a tightly knit group of people who could trust each other, back to back, to being like logs in a river current, drifting apart slowly but surely. Ruby knew the slight age gap had something to do with it, but not entirely. The only interest they shared now was the watch and alert system they set up – Ruby was the watcher and she would contact them via scroll to alert her partying teammates of nightly room check up.

It was thanks to her that they've managed to evade punishments from clueless teachers. Ruby sighed, feeling too sad to continue down that memory lane before perking up at the intent stare Cinder was giving her.

Tilting her head, Ruby said, "'Sup?" _Oh myyy gooood, did I just say that? Ruby, get your head in the game. Pay attention to your surroundings. Focus on that stuff later, when you're off work. _She resisted the urge to slap herself and held her employer's gaze, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Nothing much, just the ceiling." Cinder grinned, winking. Ruby gaped, blushing slightly. Okay, she deserved that. And she would replay that wink over and over in her mind later, Ruby noted to herself.

Cinder glanced up at the clock and checked the time, "Oh my, it seems like you'll be starting your job soon. Go wait in the kitchen." Ruby saluted and proceeded to march to the kitchen area. Her expression one of determination to do the very best one could do.

**-x-**

"Oh my god, how long have we been waiting?" Weiss screeched, drawing a wince from Blake. Not to mention the few people walking by who quickly upgraded their walkspeed. Yang sighed, they were going to get noticed in no time. Good thing Ruby went to another area out of their view.

"It's only 8:22, Weiss." The cat faunus stated blandly, her book in one hand and binoculars in the other. Weiss turned her head and glared off into the distance, a small harrumph could be heard. Sighing, Yang laid her head on the white-haired girl's shoulder, feeling herself about to drift off. But Weiss was trembling too much for her to arrive dreamland safely, she narrowly missed the hand ready to hit her.

"You. You brute!" Weiss jumped on her, knees pinning her arms down.

Yang raised an eyebrow, grinning, "Hey now, I know I'm a catch but all you had to was ask to get a piece of Yang."

The unnoticed Blake facepalmed, some things would never change. Weiss flushed, her mouth gaping. Yang sat up, using her considerable strength to unpin herself. She was vaguely aware that she was staring at white–she blacked out before she could realize just what she was staring at.

When Yang regained her consciousness, she noticed she was back at their shared room. She blearily looked up at Weiss, who looked shamed and guilty before remembering.

"Ah, white panties!" She recalled, probably not the best time to mention that… Weiss' previous guilt vanished in the blink of an eye.

Yang gulped nervously, "Hey, you didn't hear that."

The snow princess stood up, looking down at Yang with a calm composure. "Oh really?"

She nodded, fearing for her life. Of course, the blonde knew that Weiss didn't pose any challenge for her physically but her very figure right now made her shackles raise in fight or flight response. Weiss sat back down, this time, on the bed. Yang scooted over to offer her teammate some room. In their comfortable silence, Yang was ready to fall asleep again. Weiss hummed, snuggling into the blonde's side.

"Yang?" Weiss' voice cut through the quiet that had settled around them softly. Yang let out a grunt, her eyes remained close.

"You know…I don't mean it when I say you're a brute right?"

Grunt. She understood that long ago and resisted the urge to chuckle at how adorable Weiss acted back then. Still was adorable to this very day. Yang thought of 'brute' and 'princess' nicknames for each other, only addressed from one to another.

"Okay, just checking. I know I'm not very good with saying what I feel or think…I think we're both similar in that aspect." True. Grunt.

"So I can say this for certain… I like you, Yang." The pressure she felt against her arm shifted, Weiss was leaning over her.

Her eyes shot wide open, greeted with closed ones as they came closer and closer. In all her years, Yang never felt as special as she did then when Weiss kissed her. So softly and reverently. Sure she had fantasized briefly of kissing Weiss before but threw the idea away for fearing of raising her hopes too highly, but the fantasy held none of the emotion she imagined she would feel. Happy: yes, but there was something more. A niggling in the back of her mind told her it was one of those profound emotions, one she couldn't place definitely.

For the first time in her life, she fell in love.


End file.
